IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


L 


^ 


^ 


1.0 


I.I 


bi|28     |25 

^  122  wii 

w  1^  ■■■ 

Hi  1^    12.0 

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Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporalion 


23  WiST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  USM 

(716)  •72-4503 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHIVI/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproducticns  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographlques 


7 

ti 


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D 
D 

n 
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n 

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Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagee 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaur^e  et/ou  pellicul^e 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  g^ographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illust-^ations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Reli6  avec  d'autres  documents 


nPY  ^^9^^  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 

I — I    along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serree  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intirieure 


D 


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Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
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mais,  lorsque  cela  dtait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
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Commentaires  suppl6mentaires: 


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une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  m6thode  normale  de  fi'mage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


I      I    Coloured  pages/ 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 

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Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pages  ddcolordes,  tachet^es  ou  piqu6es 

Pages  detached/ 
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Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

)f  prir 

n^gale  de  I'impression 

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Comprend  du  materiel  supplementaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I      I  Pages  damaged/ 

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r~|  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I      I  Pages  detached/ 

r~3  Showthrough/ 

0  Quality  of  print  varies/ 
Qualitd  in^gale 

I      I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I     I  Only  edition  available/ 


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tl 
s 

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fi 

8 
O 


T 

s 
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VI 

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e 
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ri 
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rr 


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Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t^  filmdes  d  nouveau  de  fagon  ^ 
obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

10X  14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


/ 


12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


n 

32X 


tails 

du 
odifier 

une 
mage 


The  copy  filmed  here  has  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

lyfletropolitan  Toronto  Library 
Social  Sciancei  Department 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
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filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illuatrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  «^  (meaning  "CON- 
TIIMUED"),  or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


L'exemplaire  film*  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
Q^nitroaM  de: 

Metropolitan  Toronto  Library 
Social  Sciences  Department 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  6tA  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin.  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettet*  de  l'exemplaire  film«,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  cqntrat  de 
fllmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  ImprimAe  sont  fiimte  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustration.  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmte  en  commen^ant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — *•  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN '. 


IVIaps.  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc..  peuvent  Atre 
fiimis  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  6tre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  ciich^k,  il  est  filmi  d  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  nAcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iilustrent  la  mAthode. 


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■  III  I— iii» ini>iiniii'iTi"i  -mi-i '■""" 


•IN  MEMORiAM 


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Rev.  Wilua^i  Henp\  ;  aird 

HAMJV;rON,  Or^TARlU 

JOfUAStV    !ITH,     i%}f 


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IN  MEMORIAM 


REV.  William  Henry  Laird 


WHO    DIED  AT 


HAMILTON,  ONTARIO 
January  iith,  1891 


»...  •  ' 


CHICAGO 
Fred.  C.    Laird 


.•  .■  •  '. 


B-C'tSc^/^ 


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.».  ••••  •  ...• 


REV.  W.  H.  LAIRD. 


<  !■■ 


HIS  MASTER  CALLED. 


From  The  Hamilton  Timtt,  )'annary  la,  i8gi. 

The  hand  of  death  yesterday  (Sunday)  deprived  the 
Hamilton  district  of  the  Niagara  Conference  of  the  Meth- 
odist Church  of  an  able  and  esteemed  chairman,  First 
Methodist  Church  of  a  beloved  pastor,  and  the  city  of  an 
eloquent  divine.  Announcements  of  the  sudden  call  to 
Rev.  W.  H.  Laird  were  made  in  most  of  the  Protestant 
churches  throughout  the  city,  and  in  all,  particularly  the 
Methodist,  were  the  deepest  feelings  of  sorrow  expressed 
by  the  pastors  and  shown  by  the  people.  Nor  was  the 
surprise  less  than  the  sorrow.  Few  there  were,  outside 
the  members  of  the  First  Methodist  Church,  who  had 
any  intimation  of  any  illness,  and  even  the  greater  part 
of  his  own  congregation  did  not  know  that  their  pastor 
was  sick.     Last  week  he  was  among  his  people  as  usual. 

On  Thursday  evening  he  was  the  speaker  at  the  meet- 
ing in  St.  John  Presbyterian  Church  in  connection  with 
the  week  of  prayer.  He  was  then,  seemingly,  in  his  usual 
health.     On  Friday  he  complained  of  feeling  unwell,  but 

3 


i 


i 


was  able  to  go  about    his  duties.     To  his  Sunday-school 
superintendent  and  members  of  the  church  he  spoke  of  a 
series  of  special  services  he  was  to  begin  this  week,  say- 
ing that  he  had  decided  to  hold  them  on  Monday,  Wed- 
nesday, and   Friday    evenings.     He  also  spoke  of    pro- 
posed changes  in  connection  with  various  departments  of 
the  church  work.     He  was  not  well,  however,  then,  and 
spoke  of  sharp  pains  in  the  region  of  his  heart.     On  Sat- 
urday he  kept  his   bed   and   was    attended    by  Dr.    Day 
Smith.    He  seemed  to  apprehend  nothing  serious,  as  far 
as  those  who  called  upon  him  could  see,  but,  in  the  light 
of  what  since  occurred,  some  of    those  most  closely  con- 
nected with  church  work  see  in  his  actions  on  Saturday 
what  to  them  indicated  that  he  might  have  had  thoughts 
of    the  early    coming    of    the    white-winged  messenger. 
Late  in  the  evening  he  insisted    that  Mrs.  Laird  should 
take  her  rest,  and  she  acquiesced.      At  2  o'clock  Sunday 
morning  she  gave  him  his  medicine  and    then    both  fell 
asleep.    Shortly  before  4  o'clock,  Mrs.  Laird  was  aroused 
by  the  noise  of  her  husband's  peculiar  breathing.     She 
quickly  arose,  but  consciousness  had    fled  from  the  sick 
man  and  in  a  few  moments  he  expired.     Death  was  the 
result  of  neuralgia  of  the  heart. 

Rev.  Mr.  Laird  was  a  fine  type  of  man,  physically,  and 
one  who  might  be  considered  destined  for  many  years 
of  service.  He  was  a  Canadian  by  birth  and  has  speni 
all  his  life    in  this  vicinity.     He  was    born  at  Ancaster, 

4 


county  of  Wentworth,  fifty-five  years  ago.  His  father  was  a 
native  of  Ireland,  while  his  mother  was  a  Canadian,  hav* 
ing  been  born  in  Ancaster  township  about   the  beginning 
of    this    century.     When  a  lad,  Mr.  Laird    entered    the 
employ  of    Mr.  Charles    Magill  (now    Col.    Magill,  and 
recently  mayor   of    the  city),  who    at  that    time  kept  a 
large  dry-goods    store.     Mr.  Laird    and    a    fellow  clerk, 
named   Tew,  were  converted  at  a    revival   conducted  by 
Rev.  James  Caughey  in  the  "Brick   Church,"  as  Wesley 
Church  was  called  before    the   building    of    Centenary. 
Both  decided  to  enter  the  university  and  went  to  Victo- 
ria College  in  1853.     In   1855  when  twenty  years  of  age 
Mr.  Laird  was  received  on  trial  and  stationed  at  Lindsay. 
In  1856  and  1857  he  attended  college  again  and  in  1858  he 
was  stationed  at  Toronto  East.     In  1859  he  was  ordained 
and    received    into  full  connection  with  the  church.     In 
1859  he  was  pastor  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Glanford; 
1860-61-62  he  spent  in  the  charge  at  Cainsville;  the  next 
three  years  at  Watertown  and  then  three    years  at  Port 
Dover.     In  1869  he  was  stationed   at   Dundas,  where  he 
spent  two    years.     From  there    he  went    to  Woodstock, 
where  he  spent  three  years.     In  1874  ^^  ^^^  transferred 
to  the   Toronto    Conference    and    stationed    in  Oshawa; 
next   he  spent  three  years  in  Whitby  and  then  three  in 
Port  Hope.     In  1882  he  was  called  to  Elm  Street  Church, 
Toronto,  where   he    remained  a    conference    term,  after 
which,  in  1885  he  went    for    his    second  term  to  Wood- 

5 


stock.  From  there  in  1888  he  was  sent  to  First  Metho- 
dist  Church,  and  would  have  completed  his  term  of  ser* 
vice  had  he  lived  until  June  next. 

His  coming  among  the  people  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church  was  not  of  his  own  choice;  another  had  been 
called  and  Mr.  Laird  was  placed  in  a  somewhat  embar- 
rassing position  when  the  conference  thought  it  best  to 
send  him.  His  first  sermon  stamped  him  as  a  man  full 
of  manliness  and  character,  and  he  was  warmly  welcomed. 
Soon  all  learned  to  love  him  and  his  two  and  a  half  years 
of  service  have  been  most  pleasant,  the  congregation 
heartily  inviting  him  to  remain  at  the  close  of  each  year. 
The  church  has  prospered  under  his  charge  as  may  be  seen 
by  the  improvements  that  have  been  made  in  and  about 
the  building  and  in  connection  with  the  services.  A  short 
time  ago  he  accepted  a  call  to  the  Methodist  Church,  Dun< 
das,  and  would  have  gone  there  next  June.  He  was  recog- 
nized wherever  he  went  as  a  man  of  ability,  a  fact  which 
is  attested  by  the  number  of  times  he  has  been  made  chair- 
man of  the  districts  he  has  been  in,  by  his  fellow  clergy* 
men. 

As  a  man,  Mr.  Laird  was  sociable,  and  was  therefore  a 
favorite  among  his  brethren.  He  was  plain  and  straight- 
forward in  his  speech  and  an  able  orator.  He  had  often 
said  he  thought  he  would  die  suddenly. 

In  i860  he  was  married  to  Miss  Burke,  of  Cobourg, 
who  survives  him.     Four  of  their  children  are  also  liv- 

6 


't 

1 

I 

\: 

ing:  Mr.  F.  C.  Laird,  of  Chicago;  Mrs.  Andrew  Laid- 
law,  of  Woodstock ;  Mr.  Harry  W.  Laird,  of  the  Port 
Hope  Times,  and  Master  Roland,  who  is  at  home.  Mr. 
Laird  was  a  brother-in-law  to  Rev.  N.  R.  "Willoughby, 
M.  A.,  D.  D.,  Toronto;  Rev.  J.  W  Holmes,  of  Owen 
Sound,  and  Rev.  J.  W.  Totten,  of  Oshawa,  the  four 
Methodist  ministers  having  married  four  sisters. 


V 


' 


HONORED   BY    HIS   BRETHREN. 


THE  FUNERAL  SERVICE  FOR   THE  LATE  W.    H.   LAIRD. 


From  Tk*  HamiltoH  Sptctator,  Wednesday,  January  14,  I8gi. 

One  of  the  most  solemn  and  impressive  events  that  has 
taken  place  in  Hamilton  was  the  funeral  service  in  the 
First  Methodist  Church  yesterday  (Tuesday)  afternoon, 
a  service  of  mourning  over  the  death  of  the  late  pastor, 
Rev.  William  Henry  Laird.  It  was  a  spontaneous,  sin- 
cere, and  a  deeply  affecting  tribute  to  the  memory  of  a 
good  man  and  a  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel. 

The  church  was  crowded.  Even  the  aisles  were  filled. 
Many  in  the  large  congregation  wore  deep  mourning. 
Every  face  gave  evidence  of  the  solemnity  of  the  occa- 
sion, and  in  the  course  of  the  long  service  man3'  were 
moved  to  tears. 

The  pulpit  and  reading-desk  and  the  front  of  the  choir 
gallery  were  draped  in  black.  Against  the  front  of  the 
pulpit  rested  a  bank  of  white  flowers,  in  this  instance  at 
least  fitting  emblems  of  the  blameless  life  whom  all 
mourned.  Nearly  every  member  of  the  large  choir  was 
present,  and  all  were  in  mourning. 

At  three  o'clock,  after  a  short  prayer  had  been  offered 

8 


i 


up  in  the  parsonage,  the  remains  of  the  deceased  clergy* 
man  were  conveyed  into  the  church,  the  following,  of  his 
intimate  friends,  acting  as  pall-bearers:  Rev.  S.  Lyle, 
B.  D.,  Hon.  R.  Moreton,  Rev.  James  Gray  (Toronto), 
Rev.  Christopher  Cookman  (West  Flamboro'),  Rev.  John 
Saunders,  M.  A.  (Port  Dover),  Rev.  S.  Cleaver,  B.  A. 
(Dundas).  Immediately  following  the  casket  were  a  large 
number  of  the  relatives  of  the  deceased  clergyman,  and 
also  the  members  of  the  Trustee  and  Quarterly  Boards 
of  the  church,  in  a  body. 

Among  those  present  as  representatives  of  the  Metho- 
dist Church  were,  from  Toronto,  Revs.  Wm.  Briggs,  D. 
D.,  John  Potts,  D.  D.,  E.  H.  Dewart,  D.  D.,  W.  J.  Max- 
well, James  Gray,  Messrs.  Warring  Kennedy,  James  Aik- 
enhead,  John  Segsworth;  Revs.  J.  S.Williamson,  Oakville; 
John  Wakefield,  Chairman  of  Milton  District;  John 
Saunders,  M.  A.,  Chairman  of  Simcoe  District;  D.  L. 
Brethour,  Chairman  of  St.  Catharines  District;  A.  E. 
Russ,  M.  A.,  Chairman  of  Woodstock  District;  the 
following  members  of  Hamilton  District  of  which 
deceased  was  Chairman:  Revs.  G.  A.  Mitchell,  Financial 
Secretary;  T.  A.  Moore,  District  Secretary;  Richard 
Rowe,  Barton;  John  Hockey,  Stoney  Creek;  Charles 
Bowlby,  York;  C.  Cousins,  Caledonia;  David  Chalmers, 
Glanford;  J.  P.  Bell,  Binbrook;  E.  B.  Stevenson,  B.  A., 
Ancaster;  D.  Ecker,  Tapleytown;  Revs.  D.  G.  Suther- 
land,  D.   D.,    J.    S.  Ross,  M.    A.,  John    Pickering,  Dr. 

9 


i 


-:^5 


Bums,  D.  Lounsbury,  Thos.  Stobbs,  Stephen  Kapelle, 
Frances  Coleman,  Wm.  Morton,  R.  J.  Elliott,  John  Lay- 
cock,,  J.  H.  Bell  (A.  M.  E.);  F.  Fergusson,  Watertown; 
H.  J.  Hiltz,  Dundas;  Isaac  Tovell,  St.  Catharines;  J.  W. 
Cooley,  Brantford;  George  Kirby,  B.  A.,  Woodstock; 
George  Clark,  M.  A.,  Milton;]  H.Hazlewood, Grimsby;  J. 
G.  Foote,  Oakland;  George  Calvert,  Paris;  Harry  M.  Hall, 
Lynden;  J.  E.  S.  Bailey,  Sheffield;  T.  Webster  Kelly, 
Caistorville ;  Thos.  Orme,  Milford;  Thos.  Atlioe,  Car- 
lisle; J.  H.  Robinson,  Hagersville;  D.  M.  Taylor,  Port 
Colborne:  Ministers  of  other  denominations — Revs.  John 
Morton,  Hon.  and  Rev.  R.  Moreton;  S.  Lyle,  B.  D.; 
Mungo  Fraser,  D.  D.,  J.  Laidlaw,  D.  D.,  J.  Murray, 
Dr.  Scott,  R.  G.  Boville,  M.  A.  and  Canon  Curran. 


lO 


[ 


THE  MEMORIAL  SERVICE. 


- 


Rev. John  Kay,  of  Brantford,  President  of  the  Niagara 
Conference,  took  charge  of  (he  service,  which  was  opened 
by  singing  hymn  No.  6oi. 

THE   SAINTS  GLORIFIED. 

I  Givt  me  the  wings  of  faith  to  rite 
Within  the  veil,  and  see 
The  saints  above,  how  great  their  joys, 
How  bright  their  glories  be. 

CHORUS. 

Many  are  the  friends  who  are  waiting  to-day, 

Happy  on  the  golden  strand; 
Many  are  the  voices  calling  us  away,  , 

To  join  their  glorious  band. 

Calling  us  away,  etc. 

a  Once  they  were  mourners  here  below, 
And  poured  out  cries  and  tears; 
They  wrestled  hard,  as  we  do  now. 
With  sins  and  doubts,  and  fears. 

3  I  ask  them  whence  their  victory  came; 

They,  with  united  breath, 
Ascribe  their  conquest  to  the  Lamb, 
Their  triumph  to  His  death. 

4  Ihey  marked  the  footsteps  that  He  trod. 

His  zeal  inspired  ViAi  breast; 
And,  following  their  incarnate  God, 
Possessed  the  promised  rest. 

II 


«l 


5  Our  glorioui  Leader  claims  our  praise, 
For  His  own  pattern  given; 
While  the  long  cloud  of  witnesses 
Show  the  same  path  to  heaven. 

PRAYER — RBV.    JOHN  WAKEFIELD. 

Almighty  God,  we  approach  Thee  this  day  under  cir- 
cumstances which  are  perfectly  understood  by  Thee.  The 
secrets  of  every  heart  in  Thy  presence  are  read  by  Thee 
and  Thou  knowest  every  wound  our  spirits  f^jel.  Thou 
understandest  the  necessity  of  everyone  before  Thee,  and 
we  humbly  pray  that  Thou  wouldst  give  us  grace  for  this 
hour's  duty,  and  we  ask  that  Thou  wouldst  help  us  to  lift 
our  hearts  and  feel  that  we  are  coming  into  the  pres- 
ence of  a  sympathizing  Savior,  the  same  yesterday,  to- 
day, and  forever,  and  who  waits  to  do  for  us  much  more 
than  we  could  ask  or  think.  Thy  ways,  O  God,  are  be- 
yond us.  They  are  a  great  deep,  and  we  have  never 
been  able  to  fathom  them.  We  bless  Thee,  O  God,  that 
Thou  art  to  Thy  people  a  Fa«^her  and  friend,  a  friend 
who  sticketh  closer  than  a  brother,  and  that  no  good  thing 
shall  be  denied  any  one  of  us  who  puts  his  trust  in  Thee. 
Thou  hast  brought  us  together  to-day  on  an  occasion  of 
great  sorrow  and  almost  overwelming  grief;  yet  we  are 
glad  to  say  we  are  able  to  look  ahead  to  a  better  time 
with  the  joyfulness  of  the  Christian  hope;  to  the  time 
when  we  shall  meet  our  dear  departed  brother  and  enjoy 
those  felicities  and  glories  which  can  only  be  enjoyed  by 

12 


the  faithful  at  God' s  right  hand.  We  come  before  Thee 
with  deep  contrition,  realizing  that  we  are  in  the  pres- 
ence of  death,  that  we  have  not  been  as  we  should  have 
been,  and  doubly  conscious  of  our  manifold  and  grievous 
failings.  We  return  Thee  devout  thanksgiving  in  this 
hour  for  the  grace  that  Thou  didst  give  to  our  departed 
friend  and  brother  and  we  adore  Thee,  for  his  early  con- 
version and  for  his  consecration  to  Thy  work,  for  the 
work  Thou  hast  enab.ed  him  to  do,  and  for  the  strength 
Thou  didst  vouchsafe  him,  to  fit  him  to  live  a  godly  life 
and  remain  faithful  unto  death.  And  through  the 
strength  of  Thy  grace  he  has  remained  faithful  unto  the 
end  and  entered  into  rest.  We  bless  Thee  for  the  Chris- 
tian faith  and  love  and  life  and  for  his  faithfulness,  and 
for  his  devotion  and  faithfulness  to  his  church  and  Thy 
work.  He  was  faithful  in  his  life-work  in  Thy  service, 
and  we  believe  Thou  hast  said  unto  him:  "Well  done, 
good  and  faithful  servant,  enter  thou  into  the  joy  of  thy 
Lord. " 

And  now,  blessed  God,  we  humbly  beseech  Thee  to 
come  with  all  Thy  grace  and  peace,  and  pour  balm  on 
these  stricken  hearts.  Go,  we  pray  Thee,  to  that  stricken 
home,  and  grant  that  all-sufficient  grace  maybe  given  to 
those  who  weep  the  loss  of  one  so  near  and  dear,  to  ena- 
ble them  to  see  in  the  great  affliction  the  hand  of  a  ten- 
der and  loving  father.  Grant  Thy  abundant  grace  to 
her  whose  partner  in  life  has  so  suddenly  been  removed, 

13 


and  may  Thine  hand-maiden  be  enabled  to  say,  "It  is 
the  Lord."  Grant  the  consolations  of  that  grace  which 
Thou  only  can  bestow,  and  may  she  feel  in  this,  the  dark- 
est  hour  of  her  life,  that  the  God  of  Jacob  is  with  her. 
And  in  this  hour  we  plead  for  Thy  blessing  on  the  child- 
ren. God  bless  the  little  boy;  bless  the  two  sons  who 
have  gone  to  form  homes  for  themselves.  And,  O  Lord, 
bless  the  daughter.  Bless  them  all,  and  may  they  never 
forget  the  rich  legacy  of  a  father's  love,  a  father's  exam- 
ple, a  father's  prayers;  and  may  they  be  able  to  follow, 
as  he  followed,  Christ  Jesus.  May  they  be  found  at  last, 
a  family  unbroken  before  Thy  throne.     ^ 

O  God,  bless  this  stricken  congregation!  May  they  not 
be  scattered.  May  the  words  that  have  been  spoken — pos- 
sibly over  and  over  again — when  perhaps  they  have  not 
been  heeded,  come  to  them  and  find  a  place  in  their  hearts, 
and  may  the  preacher  gone  from  this  district  and  congre 
gation  be  more  fruitful  after  he  is  gone  than  while  he 
lived.  God  grant  that  there  may  be  given  to  them  precious 
memories  oi  the  word  as  it  fell  from  the  lips  of  our  dear 
brother.  May  they  reflect  on  the  absolute  certainties  of 
death  and  attend  carefully,  prayerfully  and  well  to  the 
lessons  and  instruction  on  Christ  and  Salvation  given  to 
them.  One  of  the  standard-bearers  has  fallen;  one 
whom  we  greatly  loved  has  been  taken  from  our  midst. 
We  thank  Thee  for  it.  We  would  not  call  him  back  if 
we  could.     Thou  hast  taken  him  to  a  greater  and  richer 

14 


reward,  and  the  ^*race  Thou  hast  given  him  is  pleasing 
to  us.  May  it  lesa}  to  more  consecration,  more  earnest 
endeavor  on  our  pakt  to  follow  in  the  pathway  which 
God  has  marked  out  fcr  us,  even  down  to  the  end  of  the 
journey.  We  are  at  'i-hy  feet.  O,  come  to  us  now! 
Speak  to  our  hearts !  Fill  us  with  the  gladness  of  Thy 
blessings,  the  fullness  of  Thy  grace,  the  brightness  of 
Christian  hope,  the  anticipations  of  reward,  so  that  even 
this  funeral  service  will  bring  us  nearer  to  Thee  than 
anything  has  ever  done  before.  Bless  those  who  have 
to  speak.  Give  them  power  and  wisdom,  and  enable 
them  to  speak  as  will  best  please  God;  and  all  we  ask  is 
in  the  name  of  Him  who  taught  us  to  pray,  "Our  Father 
who  art  in  heaven,"  etc. 


ANTHEM  BY  THE  CHOIR. 
"UnvaU  tliy  Bonom  Faithful  Tomb.-— Air  •  Dead  March  in  Saul." 


Revs.  J.  S.  Ross,  Centenary  Church,  Hamilton;  Dr. 
Dewart.  Toronto,  and  Rev.  Messrs.  Williamson  and  Bre- 
thour,  were  called  to  the  platform. 


REV.    MR.    ROSS 

Read  tka  oiii  Paalm;    'Blaaa  the  Lord  O  my  soul;  all  that  ia  within 
holy  name,"  etc. 


Hit 


RBV.   MR.    WILLIAMSON 
Raadfl.  Corinthlane,  chap,  v.,  verses  i  toio. 

15 


REV.   DR.    DEWART 
Read  I  ThtMaloniant,  cbmp.  iv,  verMt  ii  to  i8  inclnsiva. 


Rev.  John  Kay  then  called  the  following  to  the  plat- 
form: Bro.  Warring  Kennedy,  Rev.  Dr.  Potts,  Toronto; 
Rev.  Dr.  Briggs,  Hon.  and  Rev.  R.  Moreton,  Hamilton. 


THE  president's  ADDRESS. 

■BV.  JOHN  MT. 

My  dear  friends,  a  brother,  beloved,  has  fallen  at  his 
post  of  duty  with  his  head,  his  hands,  and  his  heart 
full  of  work  for  the  master,  Christ,  and  we  have  assem- 
bled  as  his  brothers  and  companions,  to  offer  words  of 
sympathy,  to  pray  together  for  the  blessing  of  God  to 
help  us  to  make  a  wise  use  of  a  mournful  event,  and  to 
join  in  songs  of  praise  and  shoutings  of  joy  over  the 
glorious  victory,  achieved  by  one  whom  we  so  well  knew 
and  loved. 

The  Rev.  William  H.  Laird,  a  true  man  of  God,  a 
most  loving  brother  minister  and  faithful  pastor  has 
passed  away  from  us.  We  cannot  call  him  back  again; 
we  shall  go  to  him  but  he  shall  not  return  to  us.  "The 
Lord  gave  and  the  Lord  hath  taken  away,  blessed  be  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 

To  be  a  true  man  of  God  is  the  grandest  achievement 
of   human  character  and  it  is  the  crowning  glory  of  hit 

i6 


life  that  his  friends  may  say  of  him  when  gone,  "He 
was  a  good  man."  Humble,  kindly  spirited,  forgiven 
and  forgiving  and  walking  with  God  in  the  atmosphere 
of  prayer  and  personal  communion,  his  life  has  been  a 
faithful  testimony,  end  to  the  thousands  of  people  he 
"being  dead  yet  speaketh."  To  the  brotherliness  and 
geniality  of  his  spirit  every  one  who  knew  him  can  tes- 
tify. More  than  ordinarily  cheerful  when  with  his  compan- 
ions for  social  converse  and  brotherly  counsel,  he  always 
made  them  feel  at  home.  His  language  invariably  chaste 
and  pure,  his  character  stainless,  his  warm  hand-grasp 
was  felt  to  be  of  the  genuine  kind.  We  will  greatly  miss 
him.  Of  the  faithful  pastor  hundreds  before  me,  and 
thousands  more  throughout  the  province,  can  testify,  and 
if  there  were  opportunity  would  gladly  do  so  this  day  in 
words  of  burning  earnestness  and  loving  friendship. 
But  he  has  gone!  His  work  on  earth  is  donel  I  shall 
not  say  that  his  ministry  has  closed;  for  it  may  be  that 
He  who  has  promoted  him  to  the  Church  above,  may 
have  some  higher  office  and  more  extensive  work  for  him 
than  he  could  possibly  have  done  on  earth.  The  minis- 
try in  God's  Church  never  dies.  Men  may  die,  but  the 
office  and  work,  like  the  covenant  of  God,  are  everlast- 
ing. Aaron  dies,  but  Eleazar  takes  the  holy  office  and 
the  work  goes  on.  The  Apostles  die  and  holy  men  fol- 
low them  in  labors  abundant.  John  Wesley  died,  and 
the  ministers,  the  fruits   of  his  labors,  took  his  place; 

17 


and  so  it  is  in  all  the  Churches  of  Jesus  Christ.  Gen* 
trations  of  men  and  ministers  pass  away,  but  the  minis* 
try  and  Church  of  Christ,  immortal  and  eternal,  live  on. 
God  buries  his  workmen  but  carries  on  His  work.  He 
lives,  and  so  do  His  children,  for  what  we  call  death  is 
only  the  low,  dark  doorway  through  which  He  leads 
them  to  crowns  of  glory  and  a  full  reward. 

I  do  sincerely  pray  that  upon  his  family  there  may 
come  such  a  sense  of  the  heavenliness  of  the  hour  that 
our  widowed  sister,  and  her  children  and  friends,  may 
feel  that  the  very  air  is  full  of  heaven  and  light.  I 
pray  that  upon  his  brethren  in  the  conference  and  the 
ministry  there  may  rest  a  double  portion  of  his  spirit 
and  the  plenitude  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  upon  his 
beloved  Church  and  congregation,  the  Holy  Spirit  may 
come  in  mighty  power  and  pentecostal  grace.  I  will  say 
no  more.  I  could  not  refrain  from  saying  these  few 
words  as  an  expression  from  his  brethren  in  the  confer- 
ence; others  will  speak  at  greater  length  and  to  better 
purpose.  He  has  gone,  and  in  thought  and  faith  we  fol- 
low him: 

"Servant  of  God,  well  done! 

Thy  glorious  warfare's  past; 
The  battle's  fought,  the  race  is  run, 

And  thou  art  crowned  at  last." 

RSV.    MR.    BRETHOUR 

Announced  Hymn  No.  615,  which  was  sung. 

18 


1  \.. 


'so  SHALL  VfU  KVER  BE  WITH  THE  LOUN** 

"Forever  with  the  LordI" 

Amen!  so  let  it  be! 
Life  from  the  dead  is  in  that  word, 

'Tis  immortality  I 

Here  in  the  body  pent, 

Absent  from  Him  I  roam. 
Yet  nightly  pitch  my  moving  tent 

A  day's  march  nearer  home. 

My  Father's  house  on  high, 
Home  of  my  soul  how  ncarl 

At  times  to  faith's  unclouded  eye. 
The  golden  gates  appear; 
Ah!  then  my  spirit  faints 
To  reach  the  land  I  love, — 

The  bright  inheritance  of  saints, 
Jerusalem  above  I 

"Forever  with  the  LordI" 

Father  if  'tis  Thy  will 
The  promise  of  that  faithful  word 

Even  here  to  me  fulfill. 

Be  Thou  at  my  right  hand, 

Then  can  I  never  fail; 
Uphold  Thou  me,  and  I  shall  stand. 

Fight,  and  I  must  prevail. 

So  when  my  latest  breath 
Shall  rend  the  veil  in  twain. 

By  death  I  shall  escape  from  death 
And  life  eternal  gain, 
Knowing  as  I  am  known 
How  shall  I  love  that  word. 

And  oft  repeat  before  the  th'vnt, 
"Forever  with  the  LordI" 

19 


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T 


Riv.  Mr.  Kay. — I  have  to  intimate  that  arrangements 
have  been  made  for  two  or  three  brief  addresses  on  this 
occasion,  most  of  them,  if  not  all,  by  old,  and  dear,  and 
very  intimate  friends  of  our  deceased  brother.  The  first 
I  shall  call  upon  is  Brother  Warring  Kennedy,  of  Toronto. 


MR.    WARRING  KENNEDY'S  ADDRESS. 

Dear  Christian  Friends:  I  feel  honored  in  being  asked 
to  take  part  in  this,  to  me  a  very  solemn,  service.  Being 
a  representative  of  Elm  Street  Church,  Toronto,  where 
our  dear  departed  brother  labored  with  us  for  three 
years,  a  few  of  the  brethren,  with  myself,  are  here  to- 
day, and  to  us  it  is  a  very  solemn  occasion.  We  are 
reminded  that  this  is  not  our  rest;  that  we  have  no 
continuing  city,  and  the  beautiful  words  of  the  Apostle 
read  in  our  hearing — the  fifth  chapter  of  Second  Corin- 
thians— bring  before  us  this  thought  in  a  beautiful 
figure,  comparing  our  bodies  with  an  earthly  tabernacle. 
It  brings  before  us  the  transitory  state  of  man — how 
short-lived  he  is.  It  compares  this  body  to  a  house, 
because  of  its  beauty  and  symmetry,  but  also  because 
this  is  the  dwelling  place  of  an  immortal  soul  and  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  The  Apostle  regulates  our  thoughts  a  lit- 
tle. It  is  not  a  house  sure  to  endure  for  a  number  of 
years,  but  a  house,  like  a  mud-walled  cottage,  liable  to 
tumble  down  about  us;  about  which  the  winds  of  sorrow 

20 


and  temptation  and  trial  blow,  and  whose  walls  are  per* 
meated  and  softened  and  undermined  by  the  waters  of 
grief  and  affliction  till  it  finally  yields  and  falls  in  ruin 
before  the  blasts  of  Death.  But  even  the  earthly  cot> 
tage,  with  its  mud-walls,  he  considers  of  too  permanent 
a  character  to  serve  as  a  simile  for  this  bodily  tenement 
of  the  soul,  so  he  calls  it  a  tabernacle;  such  a  tabernacle 
as  is  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Isaiah,  built  of  stakes  and 
covered  over  with  branches  of  trees,  erected  in  the  even- 
ing and  taken  down  in  the  morning,  or,  at  most,  in  a  few 
days.  Our  fading  beauties  disappear,  our  short-lived 
bodies  die  away.  Brethren  and  sisters,  this  is  not  our 
rest.  Here  we  have  no  abiding  city.  God  has  been 
pleased  to  make  us  with  susceptibilities  so  that  we  are 
readily  influenced  by  surrounding  circumstances.  Some- 
times it  is  to  uplift  us;  sometimes  to  depress  us.  In  the 
spring  we  rejoice  with  the  glad,  singing  birds  and  in  the 
sombre  autumn  when  the  sighing  winds  blow  around  us 
the  falling  leaves,  we  are  depressed.  And  God  has 
placed  that  sympathy  in  us  to  rejoice  with  those  who 
rejoice  and  to  weep  with  those  who  weep.  This  event 
which  has  called  us  together  to-day  is  one  eminently 
calculated  to  produce  in  each  of  us  feelings  of  the  ut- 
most seriousness;  feelings  of  the  deepest  and  most  pro- 
found sorrow.  As  has  been  referred  to  before  to-day,  one 
of  the  leaders  of  God's  great  Sacramental  host  has  been 
suddenly  taken  away  from  us.  It  is  a  very  touching  event. 

21 


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mk 


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The  scene  is  always  a  sad  one.  When  a  leader  is  carried  to 
the  grave  by  those  who  have  marched  under  him  and 
when  the  drum  is  muffled  and  the  flag  is  rolled  up,  we 
all  feel  it  to  be  a  solemn  event.  Our  dear  brother  was 
one  of  the  leaders  in  God's  sacramental  host,  but  he  is 
gone  to  his  reward  and  we  will  soon  follow  his  body  to 
the  grave.  It  is  to  my  heart  a  very  solemn  occasion. 
We  are  thus  again  reminded  that  this  is  not  our  rest 
Ah,  little  did  I  think  three  Sundays  ago,  when  I  spent 
a  happy  day  with  Brother  Laird  and  with  this  congre- 
gation that  I  would  be  called  on  to  visit  this  place  again 
and  on  such  a  sad  occasion.  I  remember  at  the  morning 
breakfast  before  I  left  him,  and  while  we  were  engaged 
in  pleasant  conversation  I  said  to  him,  "Brother  Laird, 
humanly  speaking,  you  are  good  for  another  decade  of 
active  labor  in  the  church;  you  might  even  last  out  the 
half -century."  He  smiled  as  he  replied,  "Oh,  life  is 
very  uncertain,  you  know.  But  if  I  last  till  the  people 
no  longer  welcome  me,  I'll  superannuate  and  go  on  the 
lumber  shelf."  But  ah,  he  had  no  idea  then  of  this  sud- 
den call  to  end  his  labors  here,  and  to  take  up  the 
praises  of  God  before  His  throne.  Thirty  years  ago  I 
knew  him  when  he  labored  at  the  old  Adelaide  Street 
Church  in  the  city  of  Toronto.  He  was  a  worker  too, 
and  popular  with  his  people.  We  knew  him  at  Elm  Street 
Church  as  a  man  who  had  very  few  equals  as  a  pastor 
and  as  a  friend.     He  was  a   man  of  the  highest  integ* 

aa 


rity;  a  man  who  hardly  knew  how  to  set  about  to  do  a 
mean  thing.  He  was  the  soul  of  honor.  Of  his  ministry, 
I  think  I  speak  guardedly,  when  I  say  it  was  the  most  suc- 
cessful year  that  ever  was  passed  by  Elm  Street  Church — 
the  year  when  so  many  were  gathered  in  under  him,  during 
the  labors  of  the  Rev.  Thomas  Harrison.  As  a  preacher 
he  was  clear  and  convincing,  never  failing  to  uphold  the 
doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Church  and  the  truths  of  the 
blessed  gospel.  He  never  gave  an  uncertain  sound.  As 
a  pastor  Mr.  Laird  was  blessed  with  a  winning  manner 
and  gospel  power.  Whenever  he  visited  among  the  fam- 
ilies of  the  church,  he  was  welcome.  I  well  remember 
his  tenderness  of  heart.  During  the  sickness  of  my  be« 
loved  daughter,  who  has  since  passed  within  the  veil,  I 
had  occasion  to  experience  and  appreciate  his  tenderness 
of  heart  and  comforting  sympathy.  I  remember  that 
whenever  he  came  Mrs.  Kennedy  used  to  say:  "I  do  so 
like  to  hear  the  prayers  of  Brother  Laird.  There  is  a 
sweetness  and  tenderness  and  pathos  in  them  that  I  love 
to  hear."  Yes,  he  was  a  kind  friend.  He  would  go  any 
distance  to  serve  or  oblige  a  member  of  his  congrega- 
tion. As  a  pastor  and  instructor  we  shall  see  him  no 
more.  He  is  gone.  His  Spirit  is  with  his  God;  his 
body  is  here.  Those  eyes  with  which  he  gazed  on  this 
congregation  so  often  are  now  curtained  in  death.  That 
tongue  which  was  wont  to  sing  the  praises  of  God  (and 
I  remember   when    we  sang  "Beulah  Land"  together  so 

23 


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often)— that  tongue  is  now  silent  in  death,  but,  God  be 
thanked,  he  has  reached  "Beulah  Land."  Those  hands, 
which  so  often  and  so  willingly  ministered  to  the  neces- 
sities of  the  needy,  are  now  folded  in  death;  and  those 
feet,  which  so  often  bore  him  to  works  of  good,  are  now 
stiff  and  cold.  But  his  life  leads  us  to  look  forward 
with  a  glorious  hope  to  the  period  when  all  this  condi- 
tion of  things  will  be  changed,  and  when  there  shall  be 
no  more  death.  He  is  now  among  the  blest  ones,  gar- 
landed  with  the  love  that  shall  never  fade  away.  He  is 
wearing  the  palm  of  victory  in  the  presence  of  his  God. 
He  has  joined  the  noble  army  of  martyrs  and  reposes 
with  the  first-born  of  God,  rejoicing  to  see  the  Lamb  of 
God  whom  angels  but  dimly  see,  gazing  transported  at 
the  sight  through  all  eternity.  Yes,  my  friends,  there 
is  something  that  is  very  consoling  in  our  blessed  re- 
ligion. What  would  we  do  in  seasons  of  trial  if  we 
had  not  the  sustaining  and  supporting  power  and  com- 
forting assurance  of  the  blessed  gospel?  Nor  are  we 
only  sustained  and  comforted;  we  are  pointed  to  that 
rest  which  is  prepared  for  the  people  of  God.  I  think 
of  those  beautiful  words  in  which  we  are  told  that  earth 
shall  be  swallowed  up,  as  the  earth  swallowed  up 
Dathan  and  Ahiaram,  so  shall  death  and  sin  be  swal- 
lowed up.  They  shall  be  his  people  and  God  himself 
shall  be  with  them;  they  shall  be  His  people  and  He 
shall  be  their  God.     There  shall  not  be  any  more  sigh- 


t 


i 


ing  or  sorrow  or  pain.     Blessed  be  God  for  the  comfort 
and  promises  of  our  holy  religion. 

And  now  brethren,  we  are  here  to-day  in  order  to  bear 
testimony  to  the  worth  of  a  dear  departed  brother.  He 
is  no  longer  with  us,  but  his  memory  will  long  remain 
dear.  We  say,  farewell.  Brother  Laird.  Good  night; 
we  will  meet  you  in  the  morning. 


Rev.  Mr.  Kay.— There  are  many  present  who  would 
like  to  add  their  testimony  to  the  worth  of  our  departed 
brother,  but  there  is  not  time.  Dr.  Potts,  who  is  here, 
will  say  a  few  words. 


REV.    DR.    potts'    ADDRESS. 

Dear  Friends:  I  have  unexpectedly  been  called  upon 
to  say  a  few  words  on  this  sad  occasion.  Toronto  Meth- 
odism was  greatly  startled  on  Monday  morning  when 
some  of  us  received  messages  of  the  death  of  our  dear 
friend  whose  mortal  remains  lie  before  us  to-day.  Lately 
we  have  been  called  upon  as  a  church  to  suffer  heavy 
losses.  Within  a  few  years  past  we  have  watched  the 
departure  of  such  men  as  Rev.  Egerton  Ryerson,  Anson 
Green,  Lauchlan  Taylor  and  others,  but  when  they  passed 
away,  some  of  them  had  passed  the  border  line  of 
four-score  years  and  finished  their  work  and  in  the  nat- 

25 


itt^-^^ 


ural  order  of  things,  the  time  had  come  for  them  to  be 
buried  out  of  our  sight — for  them  to  go  from  labor  to  rest. 
But  lately  when  Hamilton  was  called  on  to  lament  the 
death  of  Samuel  J.  Hunter,  and  on  Sunday  morning  last, 
of  Reverend  W.  H.  Laird  it  seemed  different.  They 
were  about  our  own  age  and  time  of  service  in  the  min- 
istry. While  many  of  us  felt  that  Death  was  a  grand 
old  father,  who  would  yet  call  us,  yet  when  such  as  Mr. 
Hunter  and  Mr.  Laird — the  latter  so  suddenly — received 
his  call,  it  came  very  near  to  some  of  us. 

Dear  brethren,  we  are  at  a  Christian  funeral  to-day. 
Those  hymns  that  have  been  sung  we  have  been  able  to 
sing  in  all  their  rich  fullness  of  meaning.  Those  glori- 
ous and  inspiring  Scriptures  that  have  been  read,  we 
know  what  they  mean,  and  there  is  a  iribute  for  Brother 
Laird  in  the  laymen  as  well  as  the  ministers  who  have 
come  from  Toronto  and  elsewhere  to  do  honor  to  the 
memory  of  a  noble  Christian  man.  I  never  touched  or 
talked  to  Brother  Laird  but  I  found  I  was  dealing  with 
a  thorough  Christian  gentleman.  Gentle  as  a  lady;  cour- 
ageous as  a  lion;  full  of  the  elements  of  strength  and 
the  elements  of  sympathy  and  tenderness.  And  so  I 
think  of  the  time  a  few  weeks  ago  when  I  occupied  this 
pulpit  and  he  sat  with  me  on  this  platform  and  stepped 
with  me  into  the  vestry  at  the  close  of  the  service  and 
said  a  few  kind  words  about  the  influence  of  the  service 
on  his  own  heart,  as  well  as  on  the  congregation,  and  I 

a6 


felt  I  was  dealing  with  a  brother.  And  he  is  gone! 
God  grant  that  we  who  loved  him  may  be  baptized  with 
a  deeper,  fuller,  more  effectual  baptism  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Some  of  us  may  not  have  many  years  of  service 
left  us,  but  whatever  it  may  be,  whether  our  time  be 
brief  or  long,  let  us  be  found  as  he  was  found  when  the 
message  reached  him,  at  our  post  of  duty.  And  here 
let  me  pause  to  express  my  pleasure  that  in  this  hour 
the  heartfelt  expressions  of  regard  for  our  departed 
brother  and  sympathy  for  the  bereaved  ones,  comes  not 
only  from  the  Niagara  and  other  conferences  of  the 
Methodist  Church,  in  which  he  was  so  much  beloved, 
but  that  such  testimony  is  borne  and  sympathy  extend- 
ed by  the  numerous  representatives  of  the  Episcopal, 
Presbyterian,  Congregational,  and  Baptist  Churches,  pres- 
ent here  to-day.  Brethren,  let  us  take  to  heart  the  les- 
son of  our  dear  friend's  death.  In  the  presence  of  death, 
in  the  presence  of  life,  let  us  give  our  hearts  to  Him; 
let  us  so  live  that  whether  our  death  may  be  sudden, 
like  that  of  our  dear  brother,  or  by  slow  and  linger- 
ing disease,  death's  call  will  be  but  the  coming  of 
the  angels  to  escort  us  home  to  everlasting  joy  with 
him. 


Il 


H 


.3  ; 


REV.     MR.     KAY 

Announced  Hymn  No.  606. 

27 


1 


"OP  WHOM  THB  WHOLE  FAMILY  IN  HEAVEN  AND  EARTH  ARE  NAMED." 

X    Come  let  ua  join  our  friends  above 

That  have  obtained  the  prire, 
And  on  the  eagle  wings  of  love 

To  joys  celestial  rise. 
Let  all  the  saints  terrestial  singi 

With  those  to  glory  gone; 
For  all  the  servants  of  our  King. 

In  earth  and  heaven,  are  one. 


REV.   DR.     BRIGGS'     ADDRESS. 

This  brief  obituary  notice  of  our  dear  departed 
brother  was  handed  to  me  just  before  coming  into  the 
church  this  afternoon,  and  I  will  now  read  it : 

Rev.  William  Henry  Laird  was  born  in  Ancaster, 
County  of  Wentworth,  in  March,  eighteen  hundred  and 
thirty-six,  and  at  his  death  was  consequently  fifty-five 
years  of  age.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  while 
his  mother  was  a  Canadian  by  birth,  whose  home  was  in 
Ancaster.  When  a  lad,  Mr.  Laird  entered  the  employ 
of  Mr.  (now  Col.)  Chas.  Magill,  who,  at  that  time,  was 
engaged  in  the  dry-goods  business.  At  the  age  of  eigh< 
teen  he  was  converted  to  God  under  the  preaching  of 
Rev.  James  Caughey,  who  was  conducting  services  at 
that  time  in  what  was  known  as  the  "Brick  Church"— 
new  Wesley  Church.  Shortly  afterward — in  1853 — he 
entered  the  University  of  Victoria  College  to  prepare 
for  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry.  In  1885,  he  was 
received  on  trial  for  the  ministry  and  stationed  at  Lind- 

a8 


say.     In  1856  and  1857,  he  attended  college  again,  and 
in  1858  he  was  stationed  on  Toronto  East  Circuit.     In 
1859  he  was  received  into  full  connection  and  ordained. 
He  was  stationed  as  follows: 
J  In  i859at  Glanford;  in  1860-61-62  at  Cainsville;  in  1863 

to  1866  at  Waterdown;  1866  to  1869  at  Port  Dover; 
1869  and  1870  in  Dundas.  Then  there  followed  three 
years  in  Woodstock,  after  which  he  was  stationed  suc- 
cessively in  Oshawa,  Whitby,  and  Port  Hope.  In  1882 
he  went  to  Elm  Street  Church,  Toronto,  and  after  that  to 
Woodstock  for  his  second  term.  In  1888  he  was  stationed 
in  the  First  Methodist  church,  where  his  period  of  serv- 
ice has  been  so  suddenly  terminated  by  death.  In  i860 
he  married  Miss  Burke,  of  Cobourg,  who  survives  him. 
He  was  Chairman  of  Districts  from  1874  to  1880,  again 
from  1885  to  1888,  and  in  1890  he  was  elected  Chairman 
of  this,  Hamilton  District. 

Brother  Laird  was,  during  his  ministry,  pre-eminently 
solicitous  for  the  salvation  of  souls  and  was  never  satis- 
fied unless  he  saw  such  fruits  of  his  labors.  He  was  a 
typical  minister  of  the  best  type — brotherly,  genial, 
social,  and  kindly  in  all  his  relations;  he  had  a  place  in 
the  warmest  corners  of  the  hearts  of  his  friends.  He 
cherished  a  high  ideal  of  Christian  character  and  was 
scrupulous  in  his  conscientiousness,  manly  and  courage- 
ous in  the  discharge  of  his  duty,  and,  above  all,  a  God- 
fearing,  patient,  and  unworldly  man.     As  a  preacher,  he 

29 


was  attractive  and  winning  in  the  persuasiveness  of  his 
manner,  earnest  and  evangelical  in  spirit,  and  practical, 
plain  and  faithful  in  his  exposition  of  the  Word  of  Life. 
In  his  administration  he  was  ever  faithful  to  the  policy 
of  the  church,  lived  in  thorough  harmony  with  his 
brethren,  and  as  a  pastor  was  a  shepherd  who  sought 
constantly  the  highest  welfare  of  those  committed  to  his 
charge. 

And  now  a  few  words  from  my  own  heart  concerning 
Brother  Laird.  I  did  not  know  of  the  death  of  Brother 
Laird  till  yesterday  forenoon.  I  was  away  from  Toronto, 
preaching,  and  returning  home  yesterday  morning  was 
so  engaged  in  conversation  with  a  brother  minister  on 
the  train  that  I  did  not  read  the  daily  papers,  and  it  was 
only  when  Dr.  Willoughby  saw  me  at  the  Union  Station 
that  I  learned  of  the  sad  loss  we  all  had  sustained. 
William  H.  Laird  dead!  I  could  hardly  believe  it.  But 
a  few  days  ago  he  was  in  the  book-room,  seemingly  in  his 
usual  state  of  health  and  spirits,  and  came  up  to  my 
office  with  his  cheery  smile  and  pleasant  speech.  We 
parted  then,  promising  to  see  each  other  soon  again. 
But,  alas!  not  again  to  our  hearing  will  he  lift  up  his 
voice,  or  speak,  or  do  any  act.  Oh,  what  a  mystery  is 
death!  It  is  the  problem  of  the  ages.  It  is  a  land  with- 
out any  order,  as  Job  calls  it.  Death  comes  to  all.  It 
does  not  take  as  its  rule  first  the  very  old,  and  then  the 
old,  and    then  the  youth,  and  then  the  child.     True,  it 

$0 


Ilk. 


comes  to  the  ripe  in  years  and  they  go  out  as  a  shock  of 
grain,  ripe  in  its  season.  But  to  others  it  comes  when 
the  bud  is  hardly  opened,  before  a  leaf  falls,  before  the 
flower  has  lost  its  fragrance.  It  came  to  Brother  Laird, 
when,  as  Brother  Kennedy  said,  he  might  have  looked 
forward  to  a  decade  of  work  in  the  service  of  his  Mas- 
ter. But  if  he  had  been  able,  when  the  summons  came, 
to  speak  what  was  in  his  heart  he  would  have  said  in  the 
words  of  Wm.  Morley  Punshon,  "that  Christ  was  to  him 
a  great  reality."  Death  has  in  all  ages  struck  terror  into 
humanity.  Because  of  this  death  we  are  here  to-day, 
assembled  to  pay  the  last  tribute  of  respect  to  a  dear 
departed  friend;  and  to  express  our  deepest  sympathy,  in 
the  hour  of  their  sorrow  and  bereavement,  for  the 
afflicted  family.  I  am  sure  every  heart  in  this  large  con- 
gregation went  out  to  them  with  the  petition  of  Brother 
Wakefield.  Jesus  is  a  constant  comforter,  a  friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  And  where  can  we  more 
appropriately  speak  our  deep  sense  of  loss  and  sympatthy 
for  those  upon  whom  the  blow  falls  most  heavily,  than 
in  this  church  where  he  labored  so  faithfully.  "Friend 
after  friend  departs,"  but  when  the  parting  is  so  sudden, 
like  a  soldier  falling  in  the  field  with  his  sword  still 
warm  from  the  battle,  it  is  a  pleasing  reflection  to  be 
able  to  say,  "He  fought  a  good  fight."  Death  comes  in 
various  ways;  none  knows  when  the  summons  may  be 
his.     The  little  child,  nestled  in  his  mother's  arms  to- 


i 


31 


1 


1    1 


! 


day,  may  be  on  his  bier  to-morrow.  Each  of  us  may  be 
very  near  to  death.  It  is  God  who  casts  us  down  and 
lifts  us  up.  His  voice  is  heard  in  the  storm  as  well  as 
in  the  sunshine,  in  the  widow's  sob,  as  well  as  in  the 
smile  of  the  child.  As  the  long  procession  of  the  dead  is 
taken  to  the  tomb,  how  quickly  sounds  the  warning:  "3e 
ye  also  ready,  for  in  such  an  hour  as  ye  know  not  the 
Son  of  Man  cometh."  Be  ye  also  ready!  Brother  Laird 
was  found  ready.  His  welcome  greeting  was  "Well  and 
faithfully  done;  enter  into  My  joy;  sit  thou  on  My 
throne."  We  know  not,  any  of  us,  the  day  or  the  hour 
of  the  day  death  may  come  to  us.  It  may  be  in  the  dead 
of  night,  when  all  nature  is  hushed,  that  our  heart  may 
give  one  beat  and  then  forever  be  still;  or  it  may  be  in 
the  dawn  of  day,  when  the  light  is  just  breaking  gray  in 
the  East,  that  the  angel  may  come  to  take  us  across  the 
cold  river,  but  oh,  friends,  we  may  suppose  a  thor- 
oughly quiet,  darkened  room  in  which  friends  will  eagerly 
catch  the  failing  breath,  and  where  silence  and  the  gath- 
ering gloom  will  fall  from  off  the  wings  of  Death.  We 
shall  not  hear  the  fateful  words  in  hushed  and  solemn 
tone:  "He  is  gone."  When  the  last  great  change  will 
come,  we  will  not  be  there.  It  is  hidden  from  us  where 
it  will  be,  and  it  is  best.  It  matters  not  if  we  are,  as 
our  dear  departed  brother  was,  vieath  will  be  but  the  end 
of  sorrow,  the  gateway  to  everlasting  bliss. 

There  are  three  groups  of  mourners  gathered  here  to 

3a 


pay  the  last  sad  tokens  of  respect  to  our  departed  brother. 

A  house  has  lost  its  honored  and  beloved  head;  a  com- 
munity a  worthy  citizen  whom  it  respected,  and  this 
church  has  lost  its  beloved  pastor. 

We  say,  come,  Memory,  and  we  will  wander  with  thee 
down  the  by-gone  years.  I  remember  when  I  was  sta- 
tioned here,  and  preached  regularly  in  this  church,  twen- 
ty-^ve  years  ago.  It  was  then  I  became  acquainted  with 
William  Henry  Laird,  and  since  that  time  it  has  been  a 
warm  and  close  and  brotherly  and  confidential  friendship. 
I  have  known  him  in  his  own  house ;  I  have  known  him  as  a 
hearer  sitting  under  his  ministry;  I  have  known  him  in 
conference  and  in  committees,  and  in  all  the  various 
works  of  a  minister's  life,  and  in  the  presence  of  life 
and  death  and  eternity  I  would  not  speak  flatteringly, 
and  I  never  knew  him  to  do  other  than  make  truth  no- 
bler, to  make  life  earnest,  to  make  truth  faithful.  He 
was  a  man  of  gifts  and  power.  It  was  easy  for  William 
Henry  Laird  to  pray.  He  was  a  man  of  prayer.  I  have 
been  with  him  at  the  weak-night  services  and  at  the 
Sunday  services,  and  I  have  felt  that  he  was  specially 
gifted  to  go  to  the  mercy-seat.  He  was  accustomed  to 
go  frequently  and  he  was  gifted  with  power  from  God. 
He  was  a  preacher  of  the  Word  of  God  in  its  purity  and 
power;  he  made  the  pulpit  a  teaching-place,  and  he 
preached  the  old,  old  story  of  Jesus  and  His  love.  He 
felt  that  to  save  souls,  to  raise  man  up  out  of  sin   and 

33 


suffering  and  degradation,  he  must  preach  Christ  cruci> 
fied  and  he  did  it.  He  felt  that,  to  lay  a  masterful  hand 
on  the  sinking  soul  and  control  its  hell  ward  plunges,  he 
must  preach  Christ,  and  he  did  it.  It  was  Jesus  only. 
His  life  was  a  preaching  of  Christ.     But  he  is  gone! 

As  a  pastor  he  was  without  a  peer.  He  was  a  true 
shepherd  of  the  flock.  Their  welfare  was  his  highest 
happiness. 

I  have  spoken  longer  than  I  intended.  A  dear  friend 
has  passed  away.  The  older  ones  among  us  may  even 
have  been  saying,  "Oh,  the  call  will  not  come  to  us  for 
a  while,"  but  when  it  comes  to  Brother  Laird  and  we 
go  back  over  our  companionship  of  twenty-five  years  we 
must  say  it  is  a  very  close  call.  Yes,  it  is  a  close  call 
to  consecr?  te  ourselves  afresh  to  God' s  service.  There's 
a  day  given  to  each  of  us.  We  know  not  how  near  we 
may  be  to  the  day  appointed  us  to  die.  But,  oh,  may 
we  so  live  that  when  our  summons  comes  it  may  be  said 
of  us  in  the  words  of  the  Apostle  Paul,  "I  hath  fought 
a  good  fight,  I  have  finished  my  course,  I  have  kept  the 
faith:  henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of 
righteousness,  which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge, 
shall  give  me  at  that  day."  May  we  fight  a  good  fight 
that  we 

Whan  all  our  warfare's  past, 
Dying  find  onr  latest  foe 
Under  our  feet  at  last. 

for  his  name's  sake — Amen. 

34 


Rev.  Mr.  Kay. — I  am  sure  that  every  heart  sympathizes 
with  those  who  in  this  sudden  bereavement  lose  a  husband 
and  father,  a  true  and  tender  friend  and  protector.  The 
Quarterly  Board  of  this  church  has  prepared  a  resolution 
which  will  now  be  read  to  you. 


FROM  THE  QUARTERLY  BOARD. 

Mr.  W.  a.  Edwards,  on  behalf  of  the  Board,  read  the 
following  resolution: 

"Resolved^  that  since  our  late,  beloved  pastor,  Rev.  W. 
H.  Laird,  has  by  a  startling  and  unlooked  for  call  been 
summoned  by  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  from  the 
activities  and  fellowship  of  the  church  on  earth  to  those 
engaged  in  by  the  redeemed  who  are  "absent  from  the 
body  and  present  with  the  Lord,"  this  Quarterly  Board, 
under  a  profound  sense  of  grief  and  bereavement,  desires 
to  give  expression  to  its  feelings  of  the  greatness  of 
the  loss  which  it  and  the  church  it  represents  have 
suHered. 

"While  unmurmuringly  accepting  the  painful  dispen- 
sation as  the  mandate  of  Him  "Who  doeth  all  things 
well,"  and  while  thankfully  recognizing  in  it  the  call 
from  labor  to  rest  and  reward  of  one  whose  work  and 
worth  alike  looked  forward  to  it  as  the  hour  of  triumph, 
we  cannot  but  offer  our  deepest  and  tenderest  sympathies 
to   his  bereaved    partner   and  household,  to  whom  this 

35 


affliction   deprives  of   a  presence  so    worthily   beloved. 

"We  desire  to  put  upon  record  our  esteem  for,  and  ap- 
preciation of,  his  sweet,  gentle,  loving,  and  deeply  spirit- 
ual character,  and  of  the  singularly  beautiful  and  blame- 
less example  he  placed  before  us  in  his  consistent  Chris- 
tian life,  so  patient,  manly,  and  genuine  in  all  its  rela- 
tions. He  was  to  us  a  faithful,  earnest  preacher  of  the 
Word,  wise  and  eloquent,  persuasively  tender  and  evi- 
dently deeply  solicitous  for  the  salvation  of  souls.  ^As 
a  pastor,  he  was  diligent,  zealous,  and  broadly  sympa- 
thetic; a  counselor  marked  by  great  fidelity  in  his  per 
sonal  dealings;  a  friend  true  and  constant,  and  as  an 
administrative  officer  of  the  church,  conscientious,  firmly 
employing  hiw  office  to  the  glory  of  the  Master,  whose 
he  was  and  whom  he  served." 

I  am  sure  these  remarks  will  testify  that  we  have  lost 
indeed  a  friend,  but,  oh,  language  fails  to  express  our 
feelings,  and  eloquence  is  only  found   in  silence. 


Rev.  John  Kay. — We  pray  that  God  will  give  this  bless- 
ing to  every  member  of  the  Board  and  that  He  will 
sanctify  this  dispensal'on  for  their  good  and  His  glory. 


HON.    AND   REV.    R.    MORETON' S  ADDRESS. 
(St.  John  Church,  Presbyterian.) 

It  is  not   easy,  friends,  to  follow  after  so  many  breth- 
ren that  have  preceded  me  and  say  anything  that  is  new 

36 


or  fresh.     They  have  gone  over  a  vast  amount  of  ground. 
They   have   known    Brother    Laird  much  longer  than  I 
knew  him.     But  he  and  I  were  brought  to  a  knowledge 
of  the  truth  within  a  very  short  time  of  each  other.    We 
were  within  two  months  of    the  same  age  and  had  lived 
together  for    two    years  in  this  neighborhood.     I  do  not 
stand    here    as   one  of    his  very  old    and    much-beloved 
friends — I  can't  lay  claim  to    that.     But  I  stand    as  one 
who  has  been  intimately  and  closely  associated  with  him 
in  the  work  of  the  Lord  in  this  city.     I  have  had  much 
felloMv.    ip  with  him.     Whether  greatly  beloved  by  him, 
I  know  not  and  cannot  say,  but  to  me  he  was  a  brother 
greatly  beloved.     We  were  together  very  many  times  and 
in  close    fellowship.     Outside   his   own  denomination  I 
suppose  there  was  not  another  minister  in  the  city  who 
enjoyed  such  close  fellowship  as  I  have  had  with  him. 
Time    and   time  we    have   bowed  down  together   in  my 
study,  not  far  from  this  place,    pleading  with    God    to 
minister  to    the  flocks  over  which    he  and    I    had  been 
made  overseers.     This    reminds  me  that  the  last  public 
utterance  of  Brother  Laird  was  given  by  him  in  St.  John 
Church,    and    that  was  when  we  were  calling  for    those 
who    were  willing  to  undertake  a  house-to-house  move- 
ment and  who  were  longing  for  a  fuller  and    more  pow- 
erful baptism  of    the    Holy  Ghost.     After  a  very  strong 
address  by  a  brother  minister.  Brother  Laird  rose  to  his 
feet  and  said:    "I  am  thoroughly  in  sympathy  with  this 

37 


movement  and  with  Brother  Moreton's  work  here." 
That  was  on  Thursday  evening  last,  in  St.  John  Presby- 
terian Church.  He  had  spoken  to  me  in  my  study  and 
said:  "I  am  not  well.  If  this  was  a  Methodist  Church  I 
would  not  have  been  here  to-night."  He  told  me  some 
of  his  symptoms  and  I  then  told  him  what  I  thought 
v/as  wrong  with  him.  We  then  bowed  down  in  prayer 
together  and  pleaded  with  God  for  blessing  and  help. 
That  was  the  last  time  we  bowed  our  heads  in  prayer 
together.  We  came  in  that  evening  and  prayed  together 
as  we  had  often  done  before,  but  little  did  I  think  it 
was  to  be  the  last  time  we  should  meet.  Dear  friends, 
our  hearts  to  go  out  to  you  in  deepest  sympathy,  but  for 
Brother  Laird  we  say,  Happy  Brother  Laird!  Happy 
spirit,  that  is  absent  from  the  body  but  present  with  the 
Lord  while  we  are  speaking  this  afternoon!  Would  to 
God  that  you  and  I  thoroughly,  fully  realized  the  full- 
ness of  that  truth  to-night.  Death  is  but  an  incident  in 
the  life  of  the  believer.  It  has  crossed  the  track  of 
Brother  Laird,  and  soon  it  will  cross  ours.  As  it  is  with 
him,  so  shall  it  be  with  every  man,  woman,  and  child 
here  to-day,  and,  oh,  may  we  be  like  him,  ready.  I,  as 
a  neighbor  minister,  enter  fully  into  the  feelings  of  the 
sorrowing  people  of  this  church.  I  have,  in  years  gone 
by,  followed  the  dead  to  the  grave  to  the  march  of  mili- 
tary bands,  the  dead  warriors  with  their  swords  and  ban- 
ners flying  on  their   coffins.     And  to-day  as  I  stood  be- 

38 


side  our  departed  brother  I  felt  I  was  beside  the  bier  of 
another  warrior — one  who  fought  with  the  sword  of  the 
Spirit,  on  whose  head  was  the  helmet  of  Salvation,  who 
wore  the  breast-plate  of  faith  and  whose  feet  were  shod 
with  the  preparation  of  the  Gospel  of  Peace.  We  shall 
go  with  him  to  the  grave  and  lay  his  body  there  till  the 
morn  of  the  resurrection,  till  the  dead  shall  be  raised  up 
and  we  who  are  alive  shall  be  caught  up  to  meet  them, 
and  dwell  forever  with  the  Lord.  I  convey  for  the  con- 
gregation of  my  church,  the  deepest,  heartiest,  truest 
sympathy — first  to  the  bereaved  widow  and  family,  and 
then  to  the  congregation  over  which  he  was  overseer. 
To  any  who  have  failed  to  hear  with  the  heart  the  min- 
istrations of  Brother  Laird,  I  say,  I  summon  you  to  lis- 
ten and  hear  him  who  being  dead,  yet  speaketh,  and  may 
that  voice  reach  and  touch  your  heart.  God  help  every 
unbeliever  hereto  become  a  seeker  after  Christ  this  after- 
noon to  the  glory  of  God  and  of  his  Holy  Spirit.  May 
God  breathe  on  this  congregation.  May  He  take  the  be- 
reaved ones  to  His  own  bosom,  and  pour  into  their 
wounds  the  oil  of  His  consoling  Spirit  and  heal  the  bro- 
ken heart.  May  He  give  to  each  that  comfort  which  He 
has  promised  to  those  who  trust  in  His  Holy  name,  for 
Christ's  sake.     Amen. 


RESOLUTION  OF  THE  HAMILTON  MINISTERIAL  ASSOCIATION. 

Rev.  R.  J.  Elliott,  of  Hannah  Street  Church,  represent- 

39 


i 


ing  the  Ministerial  Association  of  the  City  of  Hamilton, 
then  read  the  following  resolution: 

"Whereas,  in  the  mysterious  providence  of  God,  we 
are  called  to  mourn  the  loss  of  our  friend  and  brother, 
the  Rev.  W.  H.  Laird,  pastor  of  the  First  Methodist 
Church  of  this  city,  be  it 

"Resolved,  that  with  humble  submission  to  God's 
will  we  put  upon  record  our  deep  sense  of  loss  in  the 
removal  of  our  brother  from  among  us,  expressing  at  the 
same  time  our  heartfelt  appreciation  of  his  many  manly 
qualities,  the  kindness  and  geniality  of  his  disposition, 
and  his  high  character  as  a  Christian  and  Minister  of 
the  Gospel: 

"That  we  accept  this  dispensation  as  a  call  from  God 
to  us,  as  ministers,  to  recognize  that  time  is  short  and  to 
be  more  diligent  than  ever  in  the  performance  of  the 
grave  duties  to  which     ur  lives  are  consecrated: 

"That  we  convey  to  the  bereaved  widow  and  family  of 
our  departed  brother,  as  also  to  the  congregation  so  sud- 
denly bereft  of  their  pastor,  our  warmest  Christian  sym- 
pathy, and  pray  that  the  God  of  all  consolation  may 
grant  them  all  needed  support  and  comfort  in  their 
affliction,  and  may  bring  to  the  church  and  community, 
out  of  this  sad  bereavement,  such  revelations  of  His 
grace  and  wisdom,  as  will  redound  most  to  His  glory 
and  the  salvation  of  souls." 

40 


i. 


Rev.  Mr.  Kay.— We  will  now  sing  Hymn  No.  355.  I 
have  a  special  reason  for  asking  you  to  sing  this,  inasmuch 
as  it  was  the  favorite  hymn  of  the  departed  brother; 
and  when  you  sing  it  you  will  remember  the  sentiments 
so  often  expressed  by  him. 


"The  Lord  is  my  Shepherd." 
Thou  Shepherd  of  Israel,  and  mine, 

The  joy  and  desire  of  my  heart, 
For  closer  communion  I  pine, 

I  long  to  reside  where  thou  art; 
The  pasture  I  languish  to  find, 

Where  all  who  their  Shepherd  obey 
Are  fed,  on  thy  bosom  reclined, 

And  screened  from  the  heat  of  the  day. 

Ah,  show  me  that  happiest  place, 

The  place  of  thy  people's  abode, 
Where  saints  in  an  ecstasy  gaze. 

And  hang  on  their  crucified  Lord; 
Thy  love  for  a  sinner  declare. 

Thy  passion  and  death  on  the  tree; 
My  spirit  to  Calvary  bear. 

To  suffer  and  triumph  with  thee. 

'Tis  there  with  the  lambs  of  thy  flock, 

There  only,  I  covet  to  rest. 
To  lie  at  the  foot  of  the  rock. 

Or  rise  to  be  bid  in  thy  breast; 
'Tis  there  I  would  always  abide. 

And  never  a  moment  depart; 
Concealed  in  the  cleft  of  thy  side, 

Eternally  held  in  thy  heart. 


:  : 


Rev.  Mr.  Coleman. — Now  may  the  grace  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  the  love  of  God  the  Father,  the  fellowship 
and  communion  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  be 
with  us  now  and  forever  more.     Amen. 

41 


li 


!M 


On  the  conclusion  of  the  service,  the  lid  of  the  casket 
was  removed,  and  an  opportunity  was  afforded  the  con- 
gregation of  gazi.  ig  for  the  last  time  this  side  eternity 
upon  the  features  of    hen  .^elovid  pastor. 


GOIT'    TO   t'iS  LONG    MOMS. 
From  HamiltoH  Timet,  Thursday,  Januai^is,  i8gi. 

The  interment  of  the  body  of  the  late  Rev.  Mr.  Laird, 
of  the  First  Methodist  Church,  took  place  at  Woodstock 
yesterday.  The  following  Hamilton  gentlemen  accom- 
panied the  remains:  Revs.  T.  A.  Moore,  R.  G.  Elliot, 
Dr.  Sutherland,  J.  Pickering,  Messrs.  Thomas  Morris, 
James  Page,  William  Hunter,  W.  A.  Edwards,  H.  Gayfer, 
W.  Dicker,  R.  Raycroft,  Alex.  Hayes,  R.  L.  White, 
ex-Ald.  Mathews,  Thos.  Hazel,  Thomas  Gain,  and 
many  others. 

The  Woodstock  Sentinel  Review  says:  "On  arrival  at 
the  Woodstock  station  a  very  large  assemblage  of  friends 
of  the  deceased  were  in  waiting  on  the  platform.  Rev- 
erently and  tenderly  the  remains  were  lowered  from  the 
car  and  on  the  lid  of  the  casket  being  removed,  an  oppor- 
tunity was  afforded  the  legion  of  friends  of  the  deceased 
gentleman  to  gaze  for  the  last  time  upon  the  counte- 
nance of  him  who,  as  a  former  resident  of  Woodstock, 
had  endeared  himself  to  the  whole  community.  The 
Quarterly  Board  of  the  Central  Methodist  Church  attend- 

42 


'.  ■) 


I 


• 


! 


■ 


ed  in  a  body,  and  representatives  of  the  Royal  Arcanum 
and  A.  O.  U.  W.  were  present  to  receive  the  remains  of 
their  departed  brother.  Mr.  J.  B.  Trayes,  of  Port  Hope, 
was  present  as  the  delegate  of  Safety  Lodge,  No.  loi, 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  Port  Hope,  of  which  Mr.  Laird  was  a 
charter  member  and  first  P.  M.  W. 

"The  funeral  then  formed  and  moved  slowly  to  the 
Methodist  cemetery,  via  Wellington,  Dundas,  and  Mill 
streets.  The  remains  were  followed  to  the  grave  by  a 
large  number  of  sorrowing  friends.  A  brief  ceremony  at 
the  grave  was  conducted  by  Rev.  A.  E.  Russ  and  Presi- 
dent Kay,  of  the  Niagara  Conference." 


LINES. 

DEDICATED  TO  MRS.   (REV.  )  W.  H.  LAIRD  AND  FAMILY  IN  THXIR 
HOURS  OF   SAD   BEREAVEMENT.  V 

—By  Riv.  John  Lavcocx.— 
Pablisbed  in  tba  Hamilton  Timts  and  spectator,  Saturday,  Jas.  tf,  1891. 

"DEAD." 

"Dead?"    Yes,  our  paktor's  deadi 

He  heard  God's  angel  call; 
Without  a  struggle,  or  a  groan, 
A  last  adieu,  a  sob,  or  moan, 
He  pass'd  Death's  mystic  wall. 

Dead.    The  fond  husband's  dead, 

Sweet  facet    How  calm  and  biightl 
The  ruddy  cheek,  the  noble  brow, 
The  rose-hued  lips  are  marble  now— 

The  eye  hath  lost  its  light. 

43 


M 


Dead.    The  kind  (ather'a  dead- 
Word  full  o{  grief  and  pain; 
No  more  we'll  hear  his  silvery  voice: 
From  ccuntelings  in  accents  choice, 
Those  sealed  lips  shall  refrain. 

• 

« 

1 

Dead.    The  true  friend  is  dead, 

Who  lived  the  seeds  to  sow 
Of  kindness,  mercy,  godliness, 
The  gospel  truths  that  only  blesi 

Our  fellow-men  below.                                       , 

Dead?    No;  he  lives  on  high, 

Far,  far  beyond  our  call; 
We  sadly^igh  "dead"  o'er  his  dust- 
He  lives  with  angels  and  the  just, 

Where  Death  ne'er  casts  his  pall. 

1 

* 

Then  close  the  sightless  eyes, 
With  kisses  seal  them  down; 
The  hands,  in  benedictions  blest. 
Oft  raised,  fold  o'er  the  quiet  breaat. 
Whilst  angels  do  him  crown! 

- 

Farewell,  dear  Brother  Laird  1 

Thou  wert  a  pleasant  friend; 
Good-nightl    Soon  in  the  morn  we'll  meet 
Upon  God's  plains  of  light,  and  graot. 

Where  tears  and  partings  end. 

•,  '         ■       "                 '        ■  ■     >       • 

,   ■■■ 

' 

,      *          f        ■   ■                   ■  '■ 

,^  ■) 

i; 

► 

mm 


V 


J  • 


